06 April 2012

The Betrayal of the Christ: Judas, Peter, God, and You

The painting above by my friend +Gari Hatch conveys a feeling of the betrayal of Jesus that happened on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Here is Gari's poem that accompanies this painting:

They Formed a Crown

At night along the fence line row,below the moon the thorn vine grows. The quills aglow, the slender spikes,its nettle way claims the dike.It guards the rail, it circles the post,a prick, a pierce, the blood, it boast.Upon His head, they formed a crown,a jagged ring as His head bowed down.A symbol of the Savior’s pain,His willingness to bear the stain.

Holy Thursday and Good Friday are days when we remember how Jesus was betrayed by Judas, Peter, the crowd, and even God. As Jesus said to his disciples: "You too will desert me." And so do we. We betray Jesus when we give in to our animal nature instead of our Godly nature, when we fail to recognize the Christ within others, and when we fail to honor the Christ within us. Our goal is not to connect to a remote sky god somewhere in heaven but to connect to the Christ that is already within us.

Here is my sermon outline for last night's Maundy Thursday service.

Here is a video of the sermon I preached at St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas on Maundy Thursday, April 5, 2012.

May you have a blessed holy week. May you rediscover the Christ that is within you.

1 comment:

Wonderful layout with the painting and poem and your wonderful words and thoughts and also your video sermon. I especially like that you take a photograph of your handwritten sermon outline. I think that adds something very special to these blog posts. It is wonderful to have that special attention to detail. It is an intimacy with the pastor that is very special. Bravo my good friend for your gifts and talents in God's kingdom.